From the dead
by Cloelius Princess
Summary: He was stuck inside his miserable body, trying his best to not go mad while in a place resembling a tomb. That was Severus Snape's life in St. Mungus after the final battle. After Nagini. He couldn't talk. Couldn't move. And then, Minerva finally found someone to save him. Harmony had her own ghosts and trauma. But she couldn't just leave that man to die like a beast, could she?
1. Chapter 1

Cold. Non-personal. Detached.

Those were the words Harmony would use to describe St. Mungo's hospital post-war when she stepped in for the first time in many years. How had that happened? When? Those halls had once been so familiar to her as the ones from her own house.

The healers crossing path with her were mostly young ones. The Second Wizardry War against Voldemort had no doubt taken its toll even at the hospital facility. The ones she had once known and worked with must have left after the war, ascended to higher positions or… Well, that wasn't a though she wasn't ready to have.

Down by her side, she heard a particular and familiar sound of complaint.

"Don't you worry, Rufus. We will be going home soon." Harmony acknowledged the massive German-Shepard walking steadily by her side. "Headmistress McGonagall said that it is a life or death matter. We couldn't just ignore it anymore, boy." She alleged in her defense.

Neither of them felt comfortable around many people. There were too many risks involved. Still, the now Headmistress of Hogwarts was someone too special to be ignored forever. After turning her down the first time two months ago, Harmony hadn't been able to do it a second time. She couldn't exactly let someone die because of her own problems and still be able to sleep at night.

Passing through the corridors disillusioned to avoid any unwanted attentions, her eyes caught details here and there. New portraits had been added to many public corridors. Some corners looked dirtier than what was supposed. Healers kept walking in every direction however they barely glanced towards the sick and injured patients. How odd. Had the hospital policy changed that much?

Coming to a halt, Harmony raised her eyes above her head to read the sign affixed to the top of a passageway.

"Wizarding War Survivors." She read in a low tone of voice.

That was new. She had read the news about that on the newspapers long ago. It was solely reserved for the ones that had survived the war by a miracle. The healers hadn't been able to do much more for some of them. What a pity. So much potential lost seemingly forever.

Going on a little longer she saw a thin old witch, dressed with her Scottish tartan clothes, pacing back and forth.

Harmony couldn't suppress a smile after so many years gone by without seeing her teacher.

"Headmistress McGonagall?" She called to get the older woman's attention.

The Headmistress stopped mid-pace to inspect who was calling. She only managed to recognize the young woman when Harmony pulled back the hood of her cloak, ending with that the disillusion spell.

"Harmony! My child! How wonderful to meet you again."

The old witch looked nothing short of enthusiastic and quickly got closer to wrap her arms around the unsuspecting young woman.

Harmony found herself fiercely embraced and very uncomfortable with the sudden effusion. It had certainly been a long time since she had been embraced lastly. Her body went rigid and her smile vanished.

McGonagall seemed to sense her discomfort, for she went back a couple of steps to allow her ex-pupil to breath again.

"I'm sorry, my dear girl."

"Don't worry. Long time, no see. I understand."

"I mean… Your family. I heard about them."

The words hit Harmony like a hammer, with the same strength and reverberation. From all the things in the world to talk about. When would people stop talking about it?

Harmony's rather good humor evaporated like smoke. She took a deep breath to steady her heart.

"I would appreciate enormously if you could drop that subject this moment, Headmistress McGonagall." She stated coldly.

McGonagall looked at her looking every bit surprised by her reaction at the simple mention of her family. Nonetheless, she acquiesced.

"It wasn't my goal to offend you, Harmony."

"I know." She acknowledged. "I just hate the theme. Can we go on with whatever business you had in mind when you called for me?"

"Certainly. Come with me."

Harmony looked around before following the lead of the Headmistress. There was no such thing as being too careful. Only too reckless.

She found herself being conducted to a huge infirmary room. The ceiling was high above their heads, like the ones at school. Only… Blank. There were probably more than twenty beds lined against the white walls, all dressed in stark white bed linens and covers. Harmony's heart clenched at the amount of white in that one room. It was surely enough to make any other color look bold. And her heart only got tighter when the first moans and groans reached her ears.

Taking in the room quickly, she was sure every bed had a body in it. There was only one healer in sight, in a far corner. It made her feel slightly more comfortable.

Headmistress had stopped beside one of the many white beds in the room and was waiting for her. Upon closer inspection, as she got nearer, the bed occupant was a thin pale man.

"Here, my dear. This would be your patient if you would be so kind as to take him under your protection." Professor McGonagall explained with a pained face.

"Why would that be necessary? St. Mungo's should be ideal if this man needs medical attention." Harmony asked while changing to her analytical mode. Her brow lifted.

McGonagall kept a distressed face and started playing with her hands nervously.

"You see… I'm no healer but… I think something is wrong. Has been wrong for some time now."

"What do you mean? Do you suspect that they aren't taking care of him properly?"

The old woman just nodded, looking anguished about it.

"No animals are allowed here, Miss." A high-pitched voice interrupted their exchange.

Harmony turned slightly to her right to inspect the healer head-to-toe. A young one, of course.

"My familiar is allowed." She said, leaving no margin for doubts about who was commanding the interaction. The healer, however, should be completely dumb, for he insisted a second time, altogether ignoring her words.

"I'm sorry, Miss. No animals or familiars are allowed here."

Harmony felt three pairs of eyes glued on her back, waiting for her reply to that dunderhead. Rufus growled soundly, waiting for a simple command to tear the man into pieces. She smirked slightly and cocked her head to a side, facing the healer with nothing but scorn.

"I said: My familiar is allowed. Now, leave this room and don't come back unless we call for you. Thank you very much." She articulated slowly.

As if he had been confounded, the healer looked around with big eyes, nodded once and left the room with a quick pace.

When Harmony returned her attention to the Headmistress she could tell by the old woman's grasp that her eyes were shining a brighter green color than usual. She lifted one finger to her lips asking for secrecy about it.

Professor McGonagall looked shocked but nodded back without hesitation anyway. It wouldn't be the first secret about Harmony that she would keep. Perhaps not the last either.

Assured of her discretion, Harmony moved her focus to the bed.

"Now, let's see what do we really have here. And who." She announced.

"You may have heard of Severus Snape, the war hero?"

"Surely. It was hard not to. However, I knew him from before. My last year at Hogwarts. What about him?"

"This..." Minerva gestured towards the pale, thin man lying still on the bed. "Is what is left of him, Harmony."

Harmony's eyes grew big as saucers as she faced for the first time in years the man. Her glare meet his and their eyes locked in each other.

Harmony remembered well Severus Snape in his youth. A tall, straight man, with a quick pace, sharp tongue, and characteristic features. The person on the bed however hardly resembled him. Too still. And his eyes… God and Goddess! His eyes looked like pitch black lakes, haunted by the souls of those who had drowned there. There was a dozen of different pleas on them and it made Harmony's insides turn on themselves.

Bringing herself back to reality, she got closer to him and brushed her fingers through his now salt and pepper long oily hair. He didn't seem to mind so she ventured to touch his face. His skin felt colder against her fingers and his lips had a light tinge of blue to it. The goosebumps she observed forming only served to confirm her suspicion: He was too cold. Worst than that, he felt cold.

Alarmed by her discovery she quickly took off her cloak and used it to cover the bed. It had her warmth and she observed as his eyes filled with gratitude.

"Rufus, would you hop onto the bed? He needs your warmth, honey." She called the dog out.

As Rufus proceeded to obey, Harmony kept thinking hard. Something was definitely wrong.

"How long has he been here?" She demanded without turning for an answer.

"A little over a year," McGonagall answered painfully. "They seem to think that if he is conscientious at all, he must have gone mad meanwhile. That he is now nothing but an empty shell."

Harmony used her tongue to moisten her lips, eyes never leaving his.

"He looks fine to me. And for that, I mean that he is not mad or lost in himself. What was the first diagnose when he was brought here?"

"Poisoning. Then it turned out that he was fully paralyzed. He can't move. His throat was all mangled by that damned snake." The Headmistress sounded close to tears. "Can't you help him, Harmony?"

Harmony weighed the options. At the very least, she could cast a newly diagnose spell on him and perform a full observation.

Making her mind up, she focused on the spell that she knew by heart. A whole anatomy map appeared in the air above the bed. Blinking red!

"That cannot be right..." She murmured only for himself.

Casting once again she got exactly the same result. Harmony started analyzing the map and the adjoining runes and with each line she read, her heart sank a little more. Could it be true? In St. Mungos?

Her face must have shown just how bad it was and how confused she felt, for she heard the Headmistress ask behind her.

"Is it that bad?"

In silence Harmony lifted a finger in the air, signaling for the old witch to wait a little longer.

Looking down at the man again, she decided that there was only one way to verify the spell.

"I will have to check on you, Sir. I promise I will be careful and quick as I can." She whispered for their ears alone. The recognition in his eyes told her that he understood every word. No, he wasn't mad. Which now, she couldn't decide if it was a good or a bad thing at all.

First thing of the list, Harmony reached to turn around his neck. There was a mangled mass of scars all over one side, still with a vivid red hue. It must have taken some time to heal apparently. It seemed bad enough to have torn apart his vocal chords.

While traveling down with her eyes to the base of the neck she noticed older scars covering his skin, disparaging into his shirt's collar. He must have faced many enemies in his lifetime.

After a deep sigh, she gently lifted the covers along with her cloak. And then, besides already knowing what she should expect underneath, all doors of Hell opened wide.

"God and Goddess!" Harmony blurted out, shock washing over her and her senses attacked in every front.

The poor man had to be cold. He was wearing only a t-shirt and a diaper underneath the covers! And the smell… Gods, the smell was almost unbearable. The covers must have been charmed to conceal it from the visitors.

Harmony heard more than she saw Minerva running towards the door once the smell started to spread. Rufus whined and got out of the bed, still keeping close to his mistress and complaining all the while. As close as he dared at least.

A metallic hint alerted Harmony for another thing the spell had warned her about. Lifting one of his arms with some care to avoid hurting him more, she found bed sores. Old ones already in scar and fresh ones on top.

A painful and pitiful sound escaped his mangled throat as she returned his arm to its former position.

"Shush… Shush… I know. It must hurt like hell. We will take care of that soon. I promise, Sir. I will take care of it all." She comforted him, as she covered his body once again. "Try to keep warm while we settle this matter, alright? Then I will take you away to a place where no one will be able to hurt you."

Behind her, she heard steps of someone entering the room.

"What now? We have to warn the Ministry." She heard Minerva.

"I would thank you if you could talk with the patrons you mentioned on your earlier letter, Headmistress. I will take him from here today. No one is to know about the destination." Harmony warned her former teacher. "But first…" She proposed, her voice and demeanor turning mischievous and her eyes getting brighter once more. "Let us see what can be done for the remaining people in this room, shall we?"

She was pissed, that was for sure and she wasn't going to conceal it in the present situation.

"Okay..." Harmony started slowly, seemingly calm only on the exterior. "Let's find out who is responsible for this slaughter house."

"I will go and call..."

Harmony raised a hand between them.

"No need, Headmistress. Let's call in our 'friend'" She proposed, giving an impish and somehow devilish smile.

No longer than five minutes later, the same healer that she had sent away entered the room and went straight to them. Then, he stopped without uttering a word. Harmony felt all her soul twist and transform. What she was about to do was something that she would usually condemn. However, a situation like this made it all necessary.

Walking forward to meet the healer she grinned at him and started.

"If I check the other beds, what will I find?" Harmony questioned the man, pronouncing each word with purpose.

"Dead people, mostly." The man answered with a shrug.

McGonagall gasped in horror and covered her mouth with a hand.

"What?! They are dead. They all are. Even this ass-hole here. They only breath still because we still feed them."

"Very well." Harmony cut him short. "What about this man? Why did you leave him to reach this state?"

"Do you know who that one is? Severus Snape! The bat of Hogwarts dungeons, worst nightmare of most students. Half of the healers in this hospital were his students and none can remember him having a human demeanor towards anyone. Do you really thought that we would care?"

"And what about his files? Are they accurate?"

The healer just laughed as if a joke had been said.

"Accurate? Perhaps the first lines, from when he came in. And part of what was given to him. When he first came we took turns playing, you see? So, no one really knows. And no one cares."

"Alright." Harmony conjured a bottle to her hand. "Your memories of it all, please. Inside."

The man did just as he was told, like if he was under an Imperious curse.

Minerva got closer to Harmony and whispered to her.

"Is he under Imperious? Have you done that?" The witch asked worried, knowing that whatever was obtained under the Imperious wasn't considered as proof anymore, unless under very strict circumstances.

"No. Is something of my own creation. It makes him speak the truth like the Veritaserum without the bother of the potion. And he follows whatever order I give him, like a puppy."

"Is it fair?" The headmistress demanded, feeling perhaps conscious about it.

"Professor, do look around. This spell is probably the fairest thing happening in this slaughter room in a long time." She accentuated the words that dripped with sarcasm and barely concealed rage.

The healer was now dumbly waiting in front of them, bottle in hand. Harmony took it from him easily and delivered it to Minerva trembling hands.

"Now, I want you to go home and sleep till tomorrow." She ordered him. He just nodded and left the room.

Inside, Harmony could feel everything boiling. She needed to take a break. Quickly. But she couldn't just leave everything as it was. She had to end what she had started. Do some justice at the very least. If not for Severus Snape that she would save next, for all the other poor souls.

"Headmistress, please run and deliver that to the Minister in person. I know that you are quite close. Use it to get a private audience immediately. Don't leave until you know what he would do next about it. This situation can't go on any longer. I will take Severus Snape with me in the next hour after I manage to take a break. After that, I will wait for an owl from you."

"You will receive one this nightfall if I can." The older witch assured her.

"You can contact me anytime from now on, day or night. Don't mind the time on the clock. I will not."

"Understood. Travel safely, you three." The Headmistress said her goodbyes, going to the bed and touching Severus face one last time before leaving in hurried pace that damned room.


	2. Chapter 2

Harmony braced herself under the protection of her cape against the cold wind that could be felt on St. Mungo's garden. The Fall was approaching swiftly if it wasn't already there. The trees around her certainly could be held as witnesses of that, with their branches filled with withering red and gold leaves.

The woman sighed, deep in her thoughts. Her emotions felt in turmoil inside her, bubbling and hissing like a potion in a cauldron. That would not do.

Still, having just been charged with the full-time care of an almost dying man… She had brought that on her own, she recalled. First for coming to St. Mungo's and second for being so shocked at the way he had been mistreated. Oh, and the motives. So petty and revolting. What had been made of the oaths? Had these healers not taken them before starting to work? She had never been more than an apprentice and she had made hers. Never to harm a patient, was the biggest of them all. Not that she needed the oath for that at all. Her conscience was more than enough, thank you very much.

'What am I supposed to do with him now? I don't even know where to start!' She thought as she walked around on the marked paths. 'There is everything wrong with him! He must be hurting all over and in deep agony. I wonder how he hasn't gone mad, really. Perhaps that was their intention. To make him lose any reason, to fully destroy him. Oh, but I will have their heads. I must reach and contact the retired elders if the Ministry will not. What happened here is disgusting, to say the least.'

She turned around to glance at the building, searching for the window where she had left the man. She hoped that everything was alright. She had left Rufus keeping guard to his bed so that assured her a little. It would be very hard for anyone to pass through her familiar against her orders. He was a force to be reckoned with, her Rufus.

Harmony found herself grinning at the thought of her Rufus baring his big teeth against any so called healer that tried to get close to that bed. They would experiment Hell on Earth.

"God, Goddess, and Ancestors… Guide me, please. I'm needing guidance on how to proceed with this man. He was a Death Eater once. But then, he must have seen the light of wisdom, as he his now a known hero. I'm a little sorry that I never had classes with him. It would give me a better idea of his character. His old students hate his memory and many interviews were given in his regard. He seemed the most unexpected of the heroes. Who is he?"

She felt way too exposed in all of this. In order to help him, she would have to open to him in some measure. It was a requirement as old as the profession itself. Was she ready to walk that path already? So soon after starting to get her life back together and some resemblance of order in the chaos of her mind? Harmony deep breathed a couple of times, to steady her heart. She had no other options now. She couldn't leave him.

Deciding that it has gone enough time since she had left them alone to fend for themselves, she started the path that would take her once more inside the building. She didn't bother to disillusion herself this time. She would go in and come out quickly. Or those were her hopes.

Arriving to the damned white room, she was greeted by Rufus immediately, who started to move on top of the bed as he barked.

"Easy, boy. Don't jump on top of the bed or you might get our new friend sick." She admonished the dog while petting him between his pointy ears. They both knew that she would never scold him properly even if their lives depended on it.

She then looked down at her new charge. He was eyeing her with barely concealed curiosity.

"I know that you must be hurting a lot and also very weak. Still, we have to figure out a way of taking you away from here. Fast. Apparition would be the ideal, however, I don't know if you can handle it on this weakened state of yours, Sir. Would you be available to try it at least?" She asked, not knowing if he would be able to give her any real answer back.

To her surprise, he was. Very slowly and seemingly painfully, he gave her a slight nod. That earned him a big smile from her.

"Alright then. There is still one challenge left." Harmony lifted a brow before formulating her thought. "How to take you away with minimum movement."

On the other side of the bed, Rufus started to whine and moving against his mistress' s arm.

"That was a good idea, Rufus. Thank you. But be still!" She warned him once more. "Come on! I don't want our friend here to get movement sickness because of you. He is bad enough as he is right now. And with your idea, I don't really know if he will be better or worse."Harmony concluded with a hint of sarcasm.

The dog seemed to take for granted that they would do things his way, for he leaped out of the bed, already reaching to get nearer the door.

"Sorry if he hurt you. He doesn't do it on purpose, I assure you. He's just… Way too eager to get out of this place. As we all are, I guess." She shrugged, looking apologetic to the man laying on the bed. "Anyway, he got a good idea. There is a particular procedure one can use to carry burn victims that won't hurt them. A variation of the Leviosa and the Levicorpus spells. You will be laying on pure air as if on a carrier, which can become unsettling for most people. Do you think you will be able to manage both that and an Apparition?" She asked, hoping that he could. Not that she wasn't already preparing to clean everything as soon as they got home. His stomach would hardly handle an Apparition on his physical state.

Once more, Severus gave her a shy nod. She got down to sit at the border of the bed, reaching to touch him softly on his unshaven face. He surely deserved something before enduring such a hard physical proof.

His face was priceless when she first touched him so freely.

"We will get you both looking and feeling better before the day is out. You will be my guest at my house. How does that sound? No more white walls all around you." Harmony talked to him in a calming, reassuring tone, all the while caressing his cheek. It took her all of her self-control to maintain the same reassuring demeanor when she saw tears forming on his eyes. "You will be alright, Sir." She promised before getting back on her feet once more. "Now, we really have to go. Ready yourself."

She looked around, taking in the other beds and the otherwise empty room. At the foot of his bed, she saw his files, hanging there. Harmony took no time to get those, shrink them and put them on her mantle for another time. She would surely enjoy the reading.

Pulling back the covers of his bed, she cast one spell at the time. First, one to take away the smell (or at least conceal it). Second, his shirt became a longer night shirt. Lastly, her modified version of the Levicorpus. His body balanced precariously on thin air for a few moments until she got her grip on him strong as it needed to be. Years without any practice would do that to a healer. Harmony feared that he would gag right there by the color on his face. It was a relief when he managed to control himself.

Deep breathing to get in full control of the situation, Harmony made so that he would lay by her side, just by the height of her hips. It also enabled her to grasp his hand with hers.

"Let's do this then. Rufus, you will go ahead of us. Straight to the Apparition point, please. I will do a stronger concealment charm on us and follow you closely." She instructed the German- Shepard as if they had practice on escapes like this one. Which they kind of had.

What happened next, happened swiftly. Not much more than a blur for any of them.

They took less than five minutes to get to the closest Apparition point, and then they vanished from St. Mungo's altogether.

The arrival was more or less what Harmony had been expecting. Her Apparition point was outside of her property, which wasn't really practical in the actual circumstances. Rufus barked happily as soon as they set foot on solid ground and darted in the direction of a comfortable looking cottage half hidden by trees. Harmony wished she could follow her companion, but she had to tend to their guest at the moment as he was convulsing to throw up and shaking with cold. Harmony followed all the right procedures to help him not to choke on his own bile. When she thought that he had stopped feeling sick, she took off her mantle and covered his body with it for the second time that day.

"Felling better now?" She asked nonetheless.

Snape gave her a long-suffering glare and she got the message: Inside! Quick!

And so they walked the remaining path to her garden and then to her threshold. Harmony sighed in relief as she closed the door with her back against it. Finally! Home! Safe home.

Her fireplace came to life in a matter of seconds, bringing light and warmth to the tired travelers. She caught Severus eyeing his surroundings as much as he was able, mouth agape. Well, she had promised no more white. Harmony knew that her house was actually quite colorful for that matter. She had stuck to her mother's décor.

"Now… Let us find you a place to stay." Harmony declared as she started moving across the room. Severus body followed right behind her, through a hall whose walls were filled with multiple doors. They entered one, which took them to a room. Before anything else, Severus was dropped on top of the bed, laying flat on his stomach.

"I don't know if the position is comfortable at all for you. We have to keep you from laying on your back. It is just too mangled right now with sores." The woman offered as an apology, as she took of another layer of her clothes and left it on a chair.

She got nearer the bed, adjusting pillows to try and make him as comfortable as she could at the moment. Tenderly, she made he turn his face so that he was facing the room's fireplace.

"You're no more than a skeleton right now. I guess I could have almost carried you in my bare arms if I so wished. Those… Alright, time to think about you, not them. If they end in Azkaban for a while, I will be nothing but happy. Now, my question is: Where do I start?"

Harmony went back to lay her back against the wall, arms crossed across her chest. 'Think, Harmony. What should you start with? He needs a bath, that's for sure. With the sores, he has, however, I'm afraid it would be way too painful now. Need to fix that. Then we have to feed him something that won't turn his stomach around. We don't really know for how long he has been without properly eating. When he threw up early was only biles. After finding a proper sustenance for his body, we have to dress him and keep him warm.'

The fireplace near her sparkled at this thought and she knew that soon enough the room would be warm.

"Well, let us start with the basics. Undress him it will be." She announced matter of factly.

As Rufus entered the room fifteen minutes later, Harmony could be seen throwing both the diaper and the shirt directly onto the fire. The dog got to a halt right there on the threshold, not knowing if it would be wise to enter his room at all. Humans were surely unpredictable.

Harmony sensed her familiar close by and laughed softly at his confusion. Their bond allowed her to always know what he needed or what he had his mind on.

"You can enter and lay down by the fire, as per usual Rufus. We will hardly interrupt you." She assured him without even turning to meet him. What she had in front of her was more than enough to have her mind occupied.

The entirety of Severus Snape 's body was covered by scars and marks of all sorts of violence. There were curse marks, scarring from blades, fire… Even what she thought was either a belt or a whip. As she gently touched some of the marks on his back, she heard him gulping more soundly.

"You have quite a hard tale to tell." She started, keeping her tone neutral. She wasn't about to pity him. She knew how conscious he must be feeling already, completely naked at the hands of a stranger. How vulnerable. "I hope you will tell it to me one day, if you choose to. It would give me pleasure. I will leave you like this for a bit. I have to fetch you something you can sleep in tonight and also something to take care of those damned sores. I would rather conjure a tub right away, but I will keep that for when those sores are patched. No need to warm up the water twice." 

As some of you already know, this his a new version of another story of mine, "Like a Child". I hope that this one has more punch to it. Also less grammar mistakes and better overall style. I don't know if it will follow the same route of the first one step by step. Perhaps not. Perhaps it will lead to a completely different story. Click to Following button to find out.

Do review. Every single one of them it's an encouragement for me.


	3. Chapter 3

Harmony found herself head and shoulders deep into a closet when she first heard an odd noise. Odd enough that she pulled out her head while keeping her arms and shoulders in,her brow frowned, so that she could find the source of it. It was coming from one of the kitchen windows.

'What the..?' The young woman thought as she decided it best to leave whatever she was trying to find for later. Rufus was still keeping guard to their new guest, which made her feel sure that everything was well in the bedroom.

Crossing the living room while cleaning her hands on her dress, she was torn between curiosity and worry. As she reached the window, two big yellow eyes meet hers in the darkness that had settled meanwhile outside. Harmony raised a hand to her chest to quiet her heart. It had certainly been too long since she received owls at such late hour of the night.

"Come inside, please. I'm sure we can find a treat for you somewhere." She opened the window, allowing the owl to fly in. The bird landed on the back of a chair and showed her the letter attached to its leg, with the Hogwarts sigil on it. A letter that she quickly took out. "Thank you."

For a moment, she felt doubts about either she should read it right away or wait until the man was asleep. Deciding that he probably would have as much interest in it as she had, she tucked it into an invisible pocket of her skirt for later. Priorities first: She had a full-grown man lying naked on top of her bed. The room would be warm enough by now that he wouldn't feel cold but it was rude to keep him like that for much longer. Not to say cruel. Going back to the closet she had been searching, she finally took out of it new clothes for him and what she had left of "men stuff". She had always kept that junk around for no apparent reason besides memory lane. Now, her reason had just entered in her life in the shape of Severus Snape.

Taking also a jar full of water with her, Harmony got back to the room, only to find Rufus laying on top of the bed, fur against Severus side. She couldn't hold a giggle at that sight.

"I'm sorry it took me so long." She apologized with good humor. "Living by myself for a long time, I had stored these things out of the way. Now, let's get you more presentable, shall we? We have a letter to read together, whenever you are ready to bed." Harmony alluded. There was a new light in his eyes at the mentioning of news that was hard to ignore. He was anything but mad. She didn't mind having to talk for the two of them either. "Headmistress McGonagall kept her word and sent news about what transpired today. Still, I thought it better to read it with you. You were the victim after all. Still, I can't say that the curiosity is not biting my rear hard."

Her explanation was rewarded with a ghost of a smile from her patient that made her feel happy.

Preparing a bowl of hot water, she knelt next to the bed to get her head at the same level of his, a piece of cloth on her hand. "It may hurt a little here and there." Harmony warned him. "I will try to be as gentle as I can."

Starting with the sores on his back, she kept to the same routine: She cleaned the wound and applied a salve to heal it. Severus flinched a bit here and there, whenever the wound was deeper but other than that he kept all of his focus on her.

"Dittany really works wonders. Does that feel better?" She demanded when she finished. The sores were mostly gone, leaving behind pink marks.

Severus gave her a nod of approval. His stomach, on the other hand, decided to make itself known. His cheeks turned a deep shade of pink, more noticeable on his pale skin.

Not for the first time that evening, Harmony found herself laughing. To make it all more fun to watch, Rufus lifted his body from the mattress and sniffed the man's stomach, before barking to his mistress and showing her his open mouth. Harmony cackled wholeheartedly until she had tears running down her face.

"I do apologize, to both of you." She said as she cleaned the tears. "You are right, Rufus. It's close to our dinner time. Let me end here with Severus and you will have your meal. You Sir, are a different matter. I don't really know what to give to you, has I don't know when you were fed lastly and what was given to you. We will have to start back from the basics, till we know what your stomach will be able to handle. First, however, I will bath and dress you in fresh pajamas. Only then am I going to grab something that may work for tonight as a test."

This time she was answered with two nods instead of one and took all her strength to not laugh again.

A claw foot tub appeared by the fire, steam coming out of the water filling the room with the scent of medicinal herbs. Using the same spell from before, Harmony lifted her guest from the bed and slowly downed him into the water, before kneeling beside the tub.

Snape sighed audibly as the water started to do its wonders on his person, much to Harmony's delight.

"I can't imagine how much time has passed without you indulging into a real bath but from your demeanor alone I can guess it was quite some time. Enjoy yourself. You deserve it more than anyone else I know." She expressed as she started the work of scrubbing his battered body.

Harmony took it as she had taken her prior examination: One inch at the time. His body became so relaxed into the warmth of the water and the massage that her hands were providing that she feared that he would fell asleep in the tub. Snape, however, seemed adverse to it, as he did his damned hardest to keep all of his focus on her.

" In the morning we will take care of your face in a more accurate manner." Harmony muttered as she reached for his hair and beard. Summoning a pair of scissors to her hands, she managed to trim his beard in a more neat fashion than before making him more presentable. It wasn't that it changed anything for her, but it would certainly change everything for him. The hospital staff had taken away all of his dignity away without even asking for his consent. She would make sure that she gave it back to him as much as she could no matter the odds. No man deserved what he had endured and she was very sure that, from all the injuries she had found on his exterior, he had endured way more than she knew.

His hair received a quick trim also, before being washed as she had previously done with all the rest. It was only an inch above his shoulders now, as she remembered him wearing it in one of the many photos the Prophet had published.

"It may not be perfect but hey: It will grow back soon enough and then we will be able to make it look better. At least now it is manageable." Harmony reassured her guest as she caught him glancing at his chopped hair in her hand. "I usually trim my own hair but as you can imagine that is easier. It is longer than yours."

When Harmony finally gave her task for concluded, she lifted his body once more and returned it to the bed, leaving all the things she had used for his bath scattered around.

It wasn't particularly easy to dress a grown man by herself, even if he looked stick thin and felt accordingly. At St. Mungo's they would use magic for that too. Harmony wouldn't.

"Now you look better." She sighed, pleased with the result of her work. Standing in front of the bed, she now had him tucked inside the covers, looking cleaner than when she had brought him in. Severus Snape glared back at her but made nothing else. Perhaps he wanted to see by himself, she imagined. No, that wasn't a good idea at the moment. First, they had to take away the remains of the beard. Then, she would hold a mirror for him.

For his dinner, Harmony provided an assortment of fruit, mashed and whole. It was the most unoffensive food that she could think of to feed him and Severus didn't seem to feel bothered about it. He managed to eat what she gave him and was capable of munching his food which only served to relieve Harmony in some of her fears. As she prepared to take the bowls away, she heard a strangled sound of protest and looked at the man laying by her side on the top of the bed.

"Do you want more?" She asked cautiously.

Snape nodded with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

Harmony looked between the bowls still in her hands and him. It was tough to refuse him food knowing that he was hungry.

While feeling split in her conscience for not indulging into his necessities when he was making them all the more clear for her, Harmony had to overcome that and do the right thing: Wait. She knew from previous experiences what could happen if his stomach wasn't capable of keeping what food she had given him down. He would feel sick. Really sick. And then, it would be even worse.

She sighed, feeling like if she was about to commit a crime.

"Sir, let's do it this way: I go fetch something for Rufus and myself. If by the time I'm finished you are still okay with what I've given you so far, I promise I will give you more. Is that acceptable to you?"

He gave it a little thought before nodding his acceptance of her terms.

"Very well then. Rufus will remain with you as he did before." She announced.

Author note: I do hope that you like this chapter. Some people mentioned that they miss Severus P.O.V. Let me assure you that he will make his thoughts known soon enough. Just hang around and be patient with me as I explore an alternative route.


	4. Chapter 4

To say that Harmony felt like a criminal while eating her stew in front of her guest would be a misunderstanding. Not having the heart to leave him alone, she had come back to the room and pulled a colorful armchair nearer the bed to sit while eating. It felt… Hard to swallow.

The scent of the food had him drooling before her eyes and she couldn't avoid but to pity him then. She would have given him it all if she could.

"Alright, I get it!" She huffed with frustration as she got up from the seat to take away the temptation from near him. There was a sound coming from the bed but she chose to ignore it at the moment. Enough was enough and she had already perceived her mistake. For the next days, she would have to eat somewhere else. She wouldn't torture him on purpose.

Upon her return she found that he was expecting her, some drool still going down his hairy chin from the corners of his mouth. The image was heartbreaking. Harmony leaned against the door frame seeking support as she sighed deeply.

" I may not know how it is for you but I sure know how it is for me, Sir. It feels as if I am keeping you from eating food. Food that you actually need right now. Ugh!"

He didn't look like he was angry with her. It was more like if he was sad. Which didn't help to lift her conscience either. Harmony crossed the space till she was by the bed once more. Using a spare cloth that she had by the nightstand, she gently cleaned the drool. His attention seemed to be glued to her, as it always was. Taking notice of her every move and gesture. Was he worried she would eventually abuse him? She hoped not, as she had every intention of showing him nothing but kindness.

"I'm so sorry. I wish I could just give it to you, you know? It's easy to see that they didn't give you enough food for the longest time. I shudder when I think of it."

She took her seat by the armchair again and glanced across the room towards the mantle clock. Forty-five minutes had passed, given or taken some. Would it be safe to try to give him some more?

"How do you feel? Is everything okay or you feel sick?" She asked concerned.

Snape eyed her but didn't answer back. It dawned on her why.

"I forgot. I have to give you fewer options of an answer. You feel alright?"

He gave her a hint of a smile and nodded.

"Are you sure?" She insisted, trying to make sure that he wasn't saying it just because he felt hungry still.

Once more, he nodded.

"Well then." Harmony waved her hand and in the next minute a bowl of fruit was entering the room, summoned from the kitchen. "Tomorrow we will try some broth and soup. Tonight… Let's settle with this and see the outcome." She suggested as she started to give it to him.

Snape ate everything and even tried to lick his lips at the end. Harmony laughed softly at it. It wasn't funny, really it wasn't. Still, her only other available option was to cry and he had no use for her tears. She would have to be the strong one for some time.

Rufus hopped onto the bed, coming in for the first time since she had given him his own food. Sniffing them both he ended up settling at Severus side and closing his eyes to sleep.

"He is going to share the bed with you. He never did it with anyone except me. Consider yourself lucky, Sir. He seems to like you enough to protect you from his own volition." She advised her guest as she gave him some water to drink.

Waiting some minutes to make sure that he would keep everything down, she finally made him lay down completely to sleep. Understanding her idea, he turned to look at her with inquiry in his eyes.

"What?"

He made a movement with his head as if pointing to something. Or in that case, her.

Then she remembered: The letter!

She quickly reached for it in her dress pocket. Having it in her hand she showed it to him.

"Is this it? What you want?"

He nodded almost eagerly. Harmony took a brief moment to wonder where was he taking his energy from. Any other man in his condition would have fallen asleep long ago.

"Let's make a deal, shall we? I will read it out loud for us and you go to sleep afterward. You need to rest, Sir."

Snape didn't look particularly happy with her but he nodded anyway.

Smiling from his antics, Harmony pulled the armchair more towards the fire and dimmed all the other lights in the room till all that remained was the warm, yellow light coming from the fireplace.

She wouldn't leave him by himself so soon, even if she trusted Rufus to keep guard. Besides, that was her room too and she had just lost her own bed for her guest. She could sleep in the armchair for a night or two, she assured herself. She had done with worse in the past.

Grabbing a blanket that rested at the foot of the bed, she used it to cover herself from the waist down.

Opening the envelope, she took out the letter and start to read out loud.

"Dear Harmony

I hope to find you well and safe with Severus by the time you receive this letter. I'm sure you will do a fantastic job with him. At any length, it shall be better than whatever he had until now.

I can now assure you that St. Mungo's will no longer stay out of the Ministry's reach.

The Minister was as shocked as we were by what transpired. He already called all the elders that had retired after the war and the reports from them are just as shocking. The adjacent rooms were no better. They fear that some of them will not survive much longer.

I will do my best to keep you updated for the next days and will wait for news from you too. I wish to know how Severus is fairing so that I will be able to inform others that are equally interested. They have already contacted me with alarm as news of a massive inspection and disorder at St. Mungo's reached them. I assured them all that Severus was safe and protected now.

Best wishes for you both,

Minerva McGonagall"

Harmony exhaled slowly, her thoughts overpowering everything else around her at the moment. She had saved those people. Some of them at least. It felt good to know that. A lonely tear streamed down her cheek, in memory of the ones that would not survive. She allowed it to go. She only wished now that she had gone sooner.

From the bed behind her a sound warned her of Snape 's distress. She glanced over her shoulder to meet his eyes, reflecting the light from the fire. He seemed restless and she went for him.

Covering the left side of his face with her hand, she found it wet.

"Sir ..." She whispered with tenderness, pulling his still long hair out of his face. "It's okay. It will be okay. It's over now. You are here, with me and Rufus. It's all over."

She felt him trembling against her touch. It was only normal his reaction. Who knew how badly he had been mistreated, what had he witnessed while in the hospital. Feeling like he would appreciate it, she pulled his body against hers in an embrace of sorts. It took a while until his body relaxed and finally it went limp still clutched in her arms. She smiled as she made him lay down on the pillows once more, asleep. It had been a long day.

For the remainder of the night, Harmony did her best to find comfort in her armchair beside the fire. From time to time she would glance towards the bed, verifying if her boys were okay. Her boys, she thought while gazing distractedly at the fire. She could get used to calling them that, she imagined. With time. It had been so long since she had had anyone else in her life besides Rufus. Feeling safe and warm, Harmony sought comfort in the flames and let her shields down, her mind free to wander.

She knew Severus Snape was a Mind Reader, as her mother sometimes called them. She had read about it and remembered it during the day. Even if he wasn't, she wouldn't have let her shields down anyway. They served many purposes at once. Keeping others out, sure. But also keep memories buried deep within. Her past wasn't an easy one. She had lost everyone and everything, not once but twice. Escaping both wars alive had been nothing short of a miracle. Only she and Rufus knew the truth about how biting could a winter be amidst the wilderness. Her familiar had saved her more times than she could count. Coming back, rebuilding her childhood home from ruins, managing a fully functional life… All of it had taken its toll on her. She wasn't who she had once been. A young woman, full of perspectives, full of expectations. That one had died along with her family. Harmony wouldn't describe herself as bitter yet remembering wasn't a source of solace. With effort, she had managed to keep all of that buried in a dark corner and she hoped indeed that there it would remain.

As the clock stroked 3 in the morning, Harmony jumped on the armchair, the blanket that had covered her body now on the floor. Nightmares. For the Goddess's sake! Her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest.

A soft whining from the bed warned her that Rufus was awake. He usually did that. But this time, he wasn't alone.

Snape was awake too, watching her. Had he witnessed it all?

"Do you need something?" She asked.

To her surprise, he nodded.

Getting near, she noticed two things. First, the bed was wet. Second, his face was glistening with pearls of cold sweat.

"You had a nightmare too." It wasn't a question. Still, he nodded. His face giving away shame.

"Don't worry, you are not the only one."She admitted. "Have you been awake for long?"

He seemed hesitant in his answer then.

Harmony found herself smiling and reaching to touch his sweaty cheek. He flinched upon the first touch but then relaxed against her fingers.

" I will clean you up. Then, you shall try to go back to sleep."

So she did. A gesture from her hand and his clothes and the bed became dry and clean again. No need for a diaper when it was that simple. Stupid healers.

His face, however, Harmony cleaned in a common way: A wet cloth and lots of patience.

Human contact would do no harm. On contrary. It could only help him.


	5. Chapter 5

Birds chirping nearby. This was the first sound that Severus Snape heard upon waking up in Harmony's house the very first morning. How picturesque after coming from hell on earth.

For the longest time, Severus Snape 's life had become little more than a blur. In that blur were included enormous amounts of pain, misery, abuse, depression, nightmares and humiliation.

The last memory that he had of his body obeying him, was in the shack. Facing the Dark Lord. And Nagini! That damned snake! If it depended on him, he never wanted to see another one in his lifetime. Not the actual animal at least.

He had used a lot of his spare time to think about what had become of his snakes back at Hogwarts. Of what had become of all the students, for that matter. On Minerva 's many visits, she had informed him of the major things. The major deaths. The points of the Castle that had suffered the most.

He had been almost surprised by the old witch's attention. She had never failed him in the past, he would be the first to admit it. Exception made if it involved some members of her house, that is. Still, she had been the closest thing to a motherly figure in his life. So he had come to accept her visits, her long monologues, her tears shred for his condition. It had also become part of the blur at a certain point. At the same time, the visits were his highlights in an otherwise unbearable life.

Once he had woken up at the hospital, he had become the puppet at the healer's hands. They did everything with him. It started slowly at first. They would twist and turn him as if he was a dead corpse already. No respect, no care for his wounds or his pain. They would treat him as if he wasn't there anymore. Then all the rest started. The younger ones would take turns to take revenge against the Dungeons Bat. For them, it was funny. For him, it was nothing more than abuse. They would let the food plate by his bedside all day and tell him that if he was angry he had to eat by himself. By the end of the day, some more sympathetic soul would finally give it to him, barely even bother with warming it up. They would never check if he had a cold or heat either, leaving him with the same clothes and covers for the longest times. Then they would make fun of him for pretty much every reason. He smelled. He had grown a gross bear. He made his necessities on his bed.

After a while, he just wouldn't care anymore. And then started the actual physical abuses.

He felt when his flesh started to open in gashes. It hurt so bad! Pure agony. Even his manhood was… He dared not to think how it should be. He surely felt it. Harmony had been kind enough to let him without underwear. For that, he was more than grateful.

There were also the nightmares. Horrific ones, from the first and second wars. Memories, scenarios that he had feared. Severus would wake up in panic, not knowing where he was or how. His screams trying to break free from his chest. No one around ever tried to help him.

His only solace were indeed the visits he had. His 'nephew' Draco would sometimes come to see him. The boy looked anything but okay. He would come, say hello, cry a few tears and leave. The Potter brat did little more than Draco. Only Minerva took the time to sit down and talk with him.

Which was why he wasn't very surprised when she showed up that fateful day. He only became surprised when he noticed that she was not alone.

The woman with her… Severus had eyed her with the avid curiosity of someone who had become used to be alone. She carried herself gracefully, he would give her that. However, she was hardly a beauty. She was actually quite ordinary and plain in her looks, the kind of girl one would pass by and never look twice in a crowd. She kept a huge dog with her, a German-Shepard. Her familiar? It seemed likely. Then he saw it, as Minerva did.

When she faced the healer that first time, the color of her eyes… He noticed that Minerva while seeming surprised, wasn't particularly shocked by it. She talked to the woman as she would talk to any of her former students. Had she been one of them?

She had moved towards him and, as he heard her telling that she had met him while in her youth, he almost felt like cringing. Was Minerva trying to kill him once and for all? She had met him, for Merlin's beard. It would be just like the others.

Still, Harmony was nothing like the others. The emotions she displayed, the shock on her features… It sounded oddly real, as the disgust for what had been made of him. As her anger. She talked to him as one would talk to a man. Cared for him enough to cover his cold body with her own cloak, to send her dog to keep him warm. She wasn't like the others, no. Or if she was, she was pulling a wondrous show in front of Minerva. No. That was no show, Severus kept thinking as she recalled the odious healer to the room, manoeuvring him into confessing it all and handing his memories.

'Harmony.' Severus had engraved her name into his mind for later. 'As plain as you look, you don't act as a plain woman at all. Who are you?'

That was the question he wished he could formulate. The woman departed leaving him alone with the big dog on top of his bed and left, taking the cloak with her. He couldn't even start to guess where she had gone. He only hoped that she wouldn't take too long. Using the time alone wisely, Severus studied as he could the massive dog that was next to him, making weight against his frail frame. The first thing he noticed was that the dog had very intelligent eyes, golden like melted gold. He also displayed a deep scar across his muzzle, which wasn't exactly common. Severus would dare to say that the familiar looked more interesting than his mistress, as he showcased way more in his appearance than she did. The fur seemed soft and well groomed, with more black than yellow to it from his point of view. The dog lifted his head from the covers beneath him to study the man that had now become his charge. As their eyes crossed, Severus did his best to give the familiar a weak smile. Where was Harmony? He had never been particularly fond of animals.

She had assured him that they would go away soon from that place. Where was she taking him? Hogwarts? Another place? He would be happy either way, to say goodbye to those horrific walls. They would surely haunt his dreams till his death.

It all happened fast once she returned. There was one moment that got him completely by surprise: When she took the time, amidst all that madness, to sit down with him and give him a moment of tenderness. When had he been given that sort of kindness lastly? Severus couldn't remember at all.

Next thing he knew, he had just side-along Apparated somewhere in the countryside and was throwing up the contents that his stomach didn't had to start with. He hadn't been given anything to eat since the day before. Harmony acted as if she had been waiting for it. The disgusting part of it. She smiled at him and tried to make him feel better by covering him again to protect him from the cold. What season was it? Spring? Fall? Severus had no means to know for sure. It wasn't a popular topic where he came from.

He was lead to a cottage, something resembling the houses illustrated in children books. It had a big garden around it that they crossed swiftly. As he finally entered the house and the door closed behind him, his mouth opened and his senses were assaulted by everything at once, almost making him dizzy.

The colors, all around him. The smells. The sounds of a real house, with a fire roaring on the hearth. It felt very close to his notion of paradise.

The room they were in was big enough to accommodate both the kitchen and the living room. Massive sofas, like the ones a big family would use, were displayed in front of the fire. Even with his considerable height, Severus was sure he could sleep easily in any of those and feel happy about it.

His attention returned to his host. It wasn't hard to say that she felt relieved to be home. Her whole body language made it clear. The dog wasn't around, minding his own business perhaps.

She led him once more, this time across the room and through a hall until they reached a colorful room and there she let him fall flat onto his stomach on top of the thick bed covers. It wasn't the most comfortable of the positions, as she correctly guessed then. Still, it hurt less than the alternative and Severus saw how she tried her best to make him feel less awkward.

He took in the surrounding room. One such as himself used to a very specific environment and deeply set in his own ways and tastes, would call it extravagant upon first sight. The first word that came to his mind was gypsy, really. Just like the kitchen and sitting room, it was colorful and filled with decor pieces. It had a fireplace by a corner, the walls were fully covered in wood panels. So was the floor, made of pure dark wood. To his practiced nose, it smelled wonderful. There was an aroma of lavender all around. The bed had a canopy and curtains made of some very fine and fragile material. The mattress was hard, yet acceptable. The covers were patchwork as were the surrounding linens. At a first glance, it was awkward. Yet, Severus knew that if this was to be his new room, no one would hear him complaining about the patterns or colors at all. It just felt like a proper home, a proper room. Made him think strongly of Molly Weasley and all her home concepts that he had once frowned upon.

Harmony seemed thorned about what to do with him next. Suddenly, the hearth came alive, frightening him a bit. Then, she came for him.

Severus would recall several years later that she had shown him that night nothing but gentleness and care. Harmony took off the only two layers of clothes he had had in a long time and threw them directly into the fire.

"If it depends on me, you will never be subjected to this ever again, Sir." She whispered in his ear, as she took his naked, dirty and unkempt body in with her eyes.

He had a good idea about how ghastly he must be looking. Too thin, smelling bad, his hair way beyond oily. Harmony silently inspected every inch of his back, legs, and arms both with her warm hands and her eyes, making him feel more than just naked in front of her. All his scars were right there, on the skin that she was caressing. Why wasn't she showing disgust for them? Severus had let no one see those since he had become a grown man. He noticed however that she never really lost her smile while interacting with him. A sweet, simple smile, as if caring for him was a pleasure and not a duty. Would she keep being like this forever? He certainly wished for it.

That night, she had cared for his wounds, his body, and his soul. All while being respectful in his regards and taking his interests above anything else. He had seen how tortured she looked at not being able to give him anything more to eat. The fruits were tasteful, perhaps the best thing that had crossed his lips towards his stomach in a very long time. Still, they gave him little solace from the hunger. He knew that she was right, of course. His stomach wouldn't handle rich food so soon without the risk of throwing up. How idiot he had felt when the drool start to escape his mouth on its own accord in the presence of her food. As if the woman wasn't feeling bad enough already about something that they could do nothing about.

When she had maintained her promise and read Minerva's letter… That had been intense. Severus exhaled a few times as he remembered that part of the night. He had felt so damn grateful for being alive. For having the opportunity to survive what others wouldn't. He had wished for death many a time during his life. But hearing Harmony's voice reading that some of the others were condemned to die soon when he was tucked into a nice and warm bed in an actual room had proven to be too much. He had escaped somehow. For that, he would be eternally grateful to whatever deity was responsible.

Severus recalled that he must have fallen asleep in her arms for when he woke up next, the fire was dimmer in the fireplace and the clock told two and a half in the morning. He had dreamt that he was still in the hospital. They had been trying spells on his body. Which had actually happened more than once, it wasn't just a nightmare. It had been real at one point. Not only for him.

He had simply laid there for some time, watching the woman sleep. He knew that he had lost control of his bladder and that the bed was wet. He hated that part of the nightmares. Severus prayed silently that she wouldn't change her mind and put him back on diapers again for it.


	6. Chapter 6

As the day started, Harmony found herself with a nice cup of tea in her hands sitting in her garden. The sun had risen an hour ago and she had risen with it.

Careful not to wake Severus up, she and Rufus had left the room and started their day. For all that she knew, Rufus could be hunting rabbits right now in the nearby woods. The dog was always free to come and go unless she needed his help with something and today she had left him to his own business. Severus had no need of his warmth at the moment and whenever he decided to wake up he would have to bear with her. Not that he seemed to mind all that much if the past night was to be taken into consideration.

Being left in her own company also had another perk: Harmony could think things through without interruptions. And that was what she did.

While watching the scenery change before her eyes with the growing light, she thought about what had transpired in the past 24 hours of her life.

Severus Snape. The name seemed to repeat itself on her mind, surpassing every other thought. The novelty of the situation was to be blammed. If she hadn't been trained as a healer before she wouldn't resist the temptation of fretting over her guest every waking moment. The training did it all more peaceful, as she was sure that he would hardly die if she gave a break of half an hour here and there to herself. Part of providing good care to a patient was to take good care of herself as responsible and healer. It was one of the first things that they learned but it was perhaps the hardest to get used to. It became easier with time and experience.

Taking another sip of her hot tea, Harmony wondered what she should do next. She should read the files she had brought from the hospital and yet she found that she was reluctant to do so. They were most likely filled with outright lies and she would probably end up throwing it all into the fire. Not that she could, of course. Those files were proof of what had happened. No, that would hardly be the way to go. She would have been happy to ask directly to her guest all the information she needed, if only he was able to talk. Not likely for a long time. What options did she had left?

A sensation of fulfillment hit her followed by a distant howl. Rufus had caught something surely, she smiled at the thought. Their link was strong enough for her to feel his victory as he hunted in the woods.

"That's it! A link!" The answer to her problem hit her so hard that she raised from the place she was sitting and dropped her tea cup at the same time.

"Oh, no! Not my favorite cup!" Harmony complained as she made the cup repair itself and return to her palm intact. But empty. "Now I will have to refill it. How lucky..." She chastised herself with sarcasm as she made her way inside.

The idea kept bugging her all the while she filled the cup with more tea and milk and dropped on the big couch.

"It would be the perfect solution. If we weren't both Occlumens, that is. There is no way that Severus Snape, the spy, will lower his shields for me. Not this soon. I'm a perfect stranger and the man is good enough as an Occlumens to keep his mind from the Dark Master himself. And..." She reckoned to herself, brows creasing in frustration. " I don't know if I can do it either. I mean, I shared magic bonds with my brothers but they were my brothers. My family. He is… A stranger still. I knew him from a distance once, ages ago. No, I saw him from a distance. That sounds more accurate. I knew him from what I saw and what I heard of him. That is not like knowing a person at all. And I doubt that the man lying on my bed is the same person. The time he spent in St. Mungus would be enough to change pretty much anyone."

Harmony eyed the clock on the wall. It had passed enough time. Better for her to check on her guest. Leaving the tea cup abandoned on a side table, she got up and went to see if the man was already awake. She was pleased to find him turned to the stained-glass window that she had facing the bed, a contented but melancholic smile playing on his lips.

Raising her hand, she knocked lightly on the wood door to announce her arrival. His head turned to her a little quicker than in the anterior night, fully alert.

"Do you like my window?" She asked, prompting him to try an actual conversation of sorts. She knew that his mind seemed intact still Harmony had to verify. Besides, there was no way that they would spend all their time talking about his condition.

He turned once more to the window before giving a nod.

"I asked my mother for one like this after I saw it elsewhere. Always found that it filtered the light on a reassuring mode. Calming."

Harmony walked closer to the bed and checked to see the condition of the linens. They were still dry but perhaps she should hurry if she wanted to avoid another scene as the one from the night.

"I believe it is time to take care of your toilet needs, don't you think Sir?"

He looked at her seeming more than a bit apprehensive with the suggestion.

It was time to have a small chat between them.

She sat by his side and took his hands in hers.

"Sir, have I hurt you last night?"

He licked his lips before denying it.

" Did… They abused you when doing your hygiene?" Harmony tried, already suspecting the answer. She had to ask anyway.

That gained a pained look and he turned his face aside.

"I see… " Harmony acknowledged before releasing a deep sigh. This wouldn't be easy. "There is no right way of saying this but… Whatever they did to you I would never repeat it, Sir. It is a lot to ask of you to just take my word for it and I realize that. It will take time for you to be able to trust me if only a little after what they did to you. But I will not hurt you on purpose. It is not a part of who I am to take pleasure in others pain. I would appreciate a chance to show you that."

His answer wasn't immediate neither did she expected it to be. Severus Snape took his time to think about her words, to let them sink. Only after a couple of minutes was she rewarded with a more self-assured look in his eyes and a small but firm nod.

"Thank you, Sir. I'm glad that you could find in yourself to trust me. Now let's do this. Can you control your body functions if only a little?"

Severus nodded again, but this time he didn't seem so sure.

"Nightmares and other possible complications are out of the equation, Sir."

His expression changed and there was the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips as he nodded more vigorously.

" Let's get down to work them," Harmony announced as she raised from the bed.

As she had done before, Harmony went through the tasks that needed to be executed with little embarrassment but never forgoing that she was dealing with a traumatized person.

Being shaved by another, for example, seemed to spark contradictory feelings on her guest. So she made sure of doing it with extra care.

When she declared that part of her new routine concluded, Severus Snape was looking more presentable than before. Resembling more the man she had seen in the past. Tucking some gray hairs behind his left ear, she tried to remember if he already had those before the last war. If her memory served her right, his head had looked raven black then. Summoning a mirror to her hands, she presented Severus with his reflexion and observed closely his reaction.

His breathing quickened visibly when he saw his dark image once more. She imagined if he found himself looking too ghastly.

"I can't understand what you may be thinking right now and I will not try to guess either. But I can assure you that you will look way better in a month or two. Now if you don't mind, it's breakfast time. I have some oatmeal waiting in the kitchen for you."

Her choice of words made Severus frown. It took two seconds before she realized what she had done wrong.

"I will not have you spending your full time in this room Sir." She stated with a slight playful smirk on her face. "I have a big kitchen and living room and I have work to do there. While I don't mind doing some of it here on occasion, there are some tasks th must be completed there. You have a huge couch in which you may lay and enjoy some actual life for a change. Rufus will come home sooner or later and join us there."

And like that, Severus Snape ended up in one of the living room couches, covered by a blanket in front of the fire on his first morning in Harmony's home. After feeding him she made sure that he was okay and went on to her daily tasks. From his point of view, Severus could watch most of it and he soon must have understood that he would hardly die of hunger in her house. At least that was what she thought as she finished several orders for cakes and pies. One had to earn some money right?

Sometime later a muffled bark alerted both humans to an incoming German Shepard. The door opened on its own accord to grant the familiar passage and Severus heard Harmony cringe before he could glance at the big dog. He seemed rather satisfied with himself, his mouth full of fur and corpses that he made sure of dropping by his mistress' feet.

"Oh. Nice of you to remember of us Mister. Squirrel isn't my favorite but the rabbit will make a great meal for us humans. Would you want me to prepare the squirrel too or are you thinking about eating it raw?"

Rufus made what could be called a very happy face and barked to his mistress.

"Right, whatever…" Harmony rolled her eyes, seeming resigned. "But now please go to the bathroom and wait for me there. You need a bath, Rufus."

That seemed to make the dog a little less satisfied. He turned his head to a side and gave both humans a crossed look.

"You are covered in blood from your lunch and mud from running after it. No way you will get out of this without a bath." She chastised the dog with a knowing expression on her face. Why did they have to go through this every time?

Another bark and Rufus left the room leaving both humans smiling from the interaction.


	7. Chapter 7

The week that followed went by quickly as everyone in the house got used to the new circumstances.

For Harmony, it became a question of finding the right balance between handling Severus presence and care and the flow of the other tasks of her daily life. Working from home helped a lot but that had been a given since the first moment she had come back to her old house and decided to work for Muggles instead of Wizards. Between baking goods and the occasional potion to help soothe any smaller problem, she had many customers from the nearby villages that allowed her to have a problem free life. At least it used to when she was by herself with Rufus. If it would keep working or not was still to be seen but the Headmistress had assured that she would receive help sometime soon to face any extra expenses. Not that she was very worried about it, she didn't mind working a little extra for her guest.

Severus was doing good and while any time that he managed to find some rest could end rather quickly with nightmares, they had found that after a whole week that seemed to be the only remaining issue of concern besides his actual condition. He had put on some weight already and she was looking forward to starting working with him at a physical level on another week time. A few potions had been enough to help with his digestion and he was already eating and drinking almost everything and looked remarkably pleased with it.

Harmony would take him out of the room each morning after his hygiene routine to the couch in the sitting room and he kept there for most of the day where she could keep an eye on him as she worked. Rufus was never very far either which allowed her some reprieve when needed. A little before dinner time they would move him again to her former room where they would bathe him and allow him to relax in the warm water that loosened his muscles. After that, he would usually felt so drowsy that he would fall asleep immediately after eating. Harmony would then enjoy the remnant of the night reading by the fire at the feet of the bed. It had become a comfortable routine for both or so it seemed.

The idea of giving him a mean of communication never left her mind but she couldn't find in herself the courage to do it so soon. Harmony knew that she was behaving selfishly not giving him something so necessary but in her mind, she kept making excuses. Severus was still too weak. He was still recovering. He was an Occlumens. Nobody knew for sure if he would even agree. Harmony found herself often huffing in frustration as her eyes took in the sight of the formerly dour man, now condemned to silence. She knew that she was only giving herself lame excuses and it made her feel a bitch. Until one event took place on Severus second week with her, that shook her enough that she finally decided to act for both their sakes.

It had started as any regular day. She had woken up Severus by nine o'clock and had proceeded to wash and shave him. He had eaten with clear satisfaction and then she had started the process of dressing him up in proper day clothes. He only wore his pajamas to bed and they had been dressing him in some old assemblies that had once belonged to Harmony's father until the Headmistress managed to send them new ones that were in the making. Everything had been fine as Harmony talked to him about all the things she had to do on that particular day once they arrived at the main room of the house. Then, as she had her back turned searching for a brush, Rufus started to bark furiously.

"Rufus, what's the matter with you..." She had started to ask as she turned around to glance at her familiar. Her eyes grew big and the remaining words died on her lips at the sight of Severus convulsing on top of the mattress.

"Sir!"

The brush that she had been holding dropped to the wood floor and everything else eclipsed from her mind as she crossed the room to reach the bed. Her hands landed on his arms as they jerked and she felt his muscles spasming against her fingers. Harmony had to struggle to keep his body on top of the bed as it was giving quite a fight. With effort, she managed to hold him in her arms as his whole body kept being violently shaken by spasms through more than two minutes.

"I've got you. It's alright, I've got you, Sir. Just keep breathing." She asked her lips against his hair.

When the spasms finally start to subside, Harmony was holding a short of breath and barely conscious Severus. She herself found that her heart was beating erratically from the scare. It took a few more minutes for her to relax and feel safe enough to lay Severus on the bed again against the pillows.

He seemed to be just on the brink of consciousness, struggling to breathe normally and bathed in his own sweat. His skin felt clammy and looked pale as parchment.

"Sir? Please, stay with me a bit longer." Harmony pretty much begged as she summoned a wet cloth to clean his sweat away and tried to make him comfortable. She noticed that he had wet himself and the bed but she couldn't care less at the moment. She would clean it out once she was certain that he would be okay.

"Was this the first time it happened?"

The man shook his head tiredly, lids half closed. He looked exhausted and about to pass out any moment.

"Please, I need to know. Do you often experience seizures such as this?" Harmony insisted, trying to make sense of what had just happened out of nowhere. She hadn't found anything about this on his file.

As he nodded, already slipping out of conscience, Harmony felt like murdering someone. What more could those butchers have left out of his file? If the situation was to serve as an indication, the odds were not in their favor.

Finally making up her mind, Harmony knew that her only option to get any sort of truthful intel was the man on her bed.

xxxxxxXXXxxxxxx

Sometime later, Severus woke up to the comfortable semi darkness of the room he had been sleeping in for the past days. His body felt tired and sore. The weather had turned grim that day, outside the stained-glass window. He let out a long-suffering sigh as the memories of earlier came back to him, his spirit just as grim as the weather outside. Another seizure. Just what he needed at this point to show Harmony just in how much of a mess she had landed in. It would be no surprise to him if she decided to quit after that one. There was a mix of rage against himself and frustration rising steadily inside him and not the first time he longed for death. How much easier would be the life of everyone without him to worry about at this point.

He hoped against hope that Harmony wouldn't send him back to St. Mungus after her recent discovery. Not that he would blame her anyway. Perhaps Hogwarts? Poppy would no doubt be happy to see him again but he wasn't so sure that he wanted the old matron to care for him 24/7. She tended to be a little too emotional sometimes for his taste.

A soft whimpering called his attention. Looking around, he found Rufus coming his way. The dog hopped into the bed and got closer slowly as if concerned with the possibility of hurting him. He snorted at the notion. Severus had never been very fond of animals in the past. Still, the familiar was something else altogether when compared to other animals that he had met before. Incredibly perceptive, the dog actually seemed to enjoy acting like a smart ass sometimes only to get on his mistress' nerves. He seemingly tolerated Severus presence and would even babysit the man without being told so. Severus couldn't ignore the antics of the familiar and found them often amusing. Especially when they made Harmony laugh wholeheartedly and look happy. As the dog managed to put his snout beneath Severus' unmoving hand, the wizard thought back to the past days.

Severus had noticed that the witch would sometimes look sad when she thought that he wasn't paying attention. He had heard her often at night, sigh by the fire while contemplating the flickering flames. He found it weird. She always seemed to be in a sunny disposition when caring for him. Was it a farce? Was she hiding something that she didn't want him to know about his condition? Or was it something else altogether? Severus found unnerving a number of questions that he was pilling up inside his mind that he wished he could just ask away once and for all. It was frustrating to finally be with another person that actually cared for him and not being able to speak his mind. For the first time in his life, Severus Snape wished to talk with another. He had felt miserable and lonely for too long. Whenever Harmony asked him something he found himself opening his mouth as if to answer only to produce no sound at all. He had watched her go through the file she had brought from St. Mungus. Her expression had been priceless, full of disgust for whatever had been written on those pages. When she had finally lost her patience and scattered it all over the floor in frustration, he knew that whatever she had read wasn't good at all.

She was… Well, she was everything that he had hoped her to be, at least at the moment. Perhaps, even more, than he had hoped her to be. She was always there for him, any hour. She kept him warm, comfortable and with a full stomach. He had been utterly surprised to find out just how much she did work every day, besides taking care of him. The woman worked seemingly 12 hours a day from home on some days. Severus watched most of it from the couch that had quickly become his spot in the main room of the house.

"One has to earn its life, right?" She had said on his second day. She had shrugged it off as if it was the most natural thing on earth. "I'm all by myself and I had to spend most of my heritage on the actual house, so I do have to work to have food on my table."

Amidst all else, she still found the time to sit by him and give him attention. Either by reading him a book or just making him lean against her while brushing a hand through his hair. That was the most intimate he had been with anyone in years. And it was really nothing that intimate either, he knew it. Made him feel pathetic but he found himself enjoying it all the same. Longing for it too. She was so sweet with him in those moments, so caring. Her smell had quickly become familiar to him. She smelled of wild roses and flowers. Of grass freshly cut and woods. After the first awkward days, it had become comforting. The weirdness of the house had also worn off in the first days. Now it felt just right, even if the wizard found himself wondering about Harmony's roots and lineage. The word gypsy still made sense in his mind.

A soft knock on the door managed to take him out of his own head. She was there, one hand on the wood door the other by her side. For once, she wasn't smiling at him. She looked concerned.

" I was starting to worry that you wouldn't wake up so soon." She offered as she crossed the room. "Are you feeling okay?"

Severus shook his head awkwardly, a neutral expression on his features. It had become their code for something in between yes and no.

"Tired?" Harmony suggested, before running a hand over her face and down her neck.

He nodded and she moved to sit closer to him than what was her usual.

" You scared the hell out of me. Nothing on the file said anything about seizures. I was fully unprepared for it." She admitted, her countenance gloomy.

She surely looked shaken. Would she now tell him when he was supposed to leave? It seemed not, as her words took a completely different direction.

"I was… Avoiding something, these past days. You have been here for more than a week and I was still postponing it. But after what happened earlier… I can't find in myself any more excuses to postpone this conversation."

That got his interest. What could she be trying to tell him? What had she been hiding from him? By his side, Rufus glanced between both humans but kept silent.

"I have a solution for our communication issue. I can form a bond between us that will provide you with a chance to actually talk again in some way. With me. The downside of it and what kept me from telling this to you sooner was that… There were many things but the most important is that… I'm an Occlumens. And I do know that you are one too. For the bond to be formed, I would need you to willingly allow me to enter through your shields and from what I know from your past… Well, I thought that you wouldn't. Not this early. "

Her difficult speech gave him different feelings to go through. He was ecstatic at her offer and at the same time afraid of it. He was angry that she had kept quiet but he understood her line of thought. She was right, he didn't like the idea of someone rummaging through his mind again. Dumbledore and Riddle had done that enough to last him a lifetime. However, this could be his only chance of regaining some control over what happened to him in the future. Even if only Harmony could hear him, it would still be better than the present alternative. The whole conversation felt almost painful coming from her lips and once more Severus longed for the opportunity to ask her about it.

"I think it is safe to say that we both hold secrets that we don't want anyone else to find out." She added with a slight smirk as if hearing his thoughts already. Would it be like that if he accepted?

He nodded at her, confirming her words.

"That will not change with the bond. Well, at first there is a chance that something may slip but once you get the hang of it you will control how much I hear or see from your side. Being an Occlumens will help you with that. I will give you till tomorrow morning to make your decision. Today we will keep doing things the way we have been doing them from the first day. "


	8. Chapter 8

As she watched the man sleep that night, Harmony kept going through the events of the day on her mind.

He had caught her by surprise and she deeply disliked nasty surprises. It was nobody's fault, of course. He had no control over what was happening to him. But she hated the feeling all the same.

If he agreed to the bound… Well, things would be easier for sure. Having to guess his thoughts and feelings the whole time was hard. Harmony changed position on the armchair, trying to feel comfy. As comfy as she could, after spending almost two weeks sleeping in it. Not that she minded, she mentally shrugged. She had to keep watch over him anyway and…

Harmony rubbed her face with her hands. Who was she trying to fool? She was sleeping on the armchair because she couldn't find in herself to use other room. The couch in the living room should have been an option but she never felt like sleeping there. She liked her room, her own set of four walls. They felt safe, secure even with the bed was now occupied by another. A yawn gave her a sudden need to stretch out her arms. Rufus was on the bed, laying beside Severus. One of them at least kept having a mattress to lie in.

Deciding that it was more than time to sleep, Harmony pulled on a blanket and snuggled with it. The morning would bring many emotions and she would need her rest.

xxx xxx xxx

"Are you comfortable?" Harmony asked as she tucked some stray hair behind Severus' ear. He nodded back to her and her smile grew a tiny bit.

They had gone through their entire morning routine already in the bedroom. Now they had come to the point where they would take care of their impending issue.

"Have you made up your mind?"

Snape opened his mouth as if to answer, some hesitance on his features.

"Do you want me to explain further details?"

He gave her a nod. Harmony took a deep breath before going on.

"You can't imagine how much I would like to… No matter." Harmony waved a hand in the air, dismissing her former words. "I will try to explain how this bound will work. To start with, you may want to know that it comes from ancient magic. Really old one. It is not dark by nature but I do recall that it was used for dark purposes once or twice since it was created. It works on different levels: We will share thoughts and emotions. I've found in the past that feelings can't be blocked the way you will block thoughts. They require something different to block. It works differently with everyone on that matter. As you may be asking, yes, I had bounds like these before. They were formed with close people and I still have one going, with Rufus. His works on an entirely different level, I can't really talk with him." She added with an amused smirk. Severus' eyes were glued to her and she felt their intensity. He was paying attention. Harmony tried to focus so that she wouldn't babble out of the subject. "Between Rufus and I, it is more about emotion than anything else. We communicate through it you could say. Perhaps later you will understand what I mean. With us it will be a controlled thing, being that we are both Occlumens. Our capacity to control the flow of thought and emotion is different from other people's. I won't see anything that you don't want me to see and you won't see anything that I don't want you to see either. At the beginning, I may have to be the one to control it more, as you never had one of these before. You didn't, did you?" She inquired, giving him an opportunity to give some input. He gave her a smirk and shook his head. " I will make sure that this works for both of us." She promised, her voice low now. Each word was heartfelt. "Will you agree?"

Severus seemed to take his time to weigh her words and she had expected nothing sort of that from that particular man.

Minutes stretch by and for a while, he all but appeared lost in his thoughts. Harmony waited by his side. She had decided to give him her morning and put over her work till after the matter was settled.

Then he finally nodded. One single and quite formal looking nod. It felt like he had just finished signing a contract, the same finality implied.

"Very well. Are you ready to allow me entrance? If you try to stop me while I'm inside, it will hurt as both physically. And while I do own a good stock of headache potions I would rather not use them today." She meant it as a joke but she knew that if he tried to fight her back on her intrusion she would indeed need a strong headache reliever. They both would.

"Breath and relax. That's all that I ask, Sir."

Calling to her all her focus, she directed her energy into his dark eyes and subsequently slipped into his mind.

Ahead of her, tall walls kept a fortress concealed behind them. It felt eerily familiar in a way. It looked in part like Hogwarts but not quite so big. There were no visible doors.

'What now?' She wondered, looking around for clues. Slowly, a door appeared on the wall not very far from her. Made of wood and with some rust. How original. Harmony tried to open it but it wouldn't move at all. Deciding that perhaps something else was being required, she furrowed. An idea popped in her mind that made her grin. It was worth the try.

Raising her hand, she knocked on the door in what could be deemed a respectful way. When the door cringed open, she had to make an effort to keep from laughing. She had always heard that the man was quite adamant about education and good manners but this was taking that to another level. She doubted that the Dark Lord would have taken the trouble of doing as she had but then she also doubted that the spy would have bothered asking for such demonstration of respect from the tyrant.

Stepping inside, Harmony found herself in the dungeon's corridors.

'Long time, no see.' Harmony greeted with enthusiasm.

They resembled like an accurate replica of the original ones. She remembered some portraits and the occasional suit of armor as she started her way through the dark corridors. She had lived in Hogwarts basement after all.

Her enthusiasm soon tampered. The replica was only the facade to a labyrinth. A cover up. Every wall had several doors, all unidentified. All had the same appearance and they were all locked.

Harmony groaned in frustration. She hadn't expected it to be easy but like this would take forever for her to find the core. Her energy was wearing out at a steady pace and she was sure that his was too. They had a limited amount of time to accomplish this.

"Some help would be nice… " She prompted both inside his mind and outside by his side.

Not one to wait still, she tried another hallway. Something got her attention by the corner of her eye. A Patronus was floating in the air several feet ahead of her. A silver doe?

"Sir?"

The doe took off, leaving behind a trail of silver mist for her to follow. Harmony darted in pursuit, corridor after corridor. At one point, the doe vanished just in front of her eyes on thin air.

Harmony glanced around, noticing that this corridor was different. Instead of doors, it had portraits hanging from the walls. McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore, a witch that looked very much like Severus Snape… One, in particular, caught her attention. A portrait of a young red head. She was laughing with pure happiness and joy, her smile so bright. A kind of warmth came from the enchanted canvas joined by a sense o peace. Could it be it? His core? It was worth the try, Harmony theorized. Raising her hands she tried to touch the canvas and found her suspicions confirmed when her hands went across it as if it was just water.

Harmony breathed a few times before starting the incantation. Her chanting echoed through the walls of the place. She felt the connection forming, and then hundreds of flashes of light surrounded her in rapid motions. Memories. Thoughts. Emotions. Past and present. She kept her eyes closed in respect for his privacy. She owned him that. Those belonged to him and him alone.

"Sir? Can you hear me?"

"Harmony?" Came to her a deep baritone voice, velvet smooth. Harmony grinned broadly. She hadn't heard that voice in years. She had forgotten how it sounded altogether. Slowly, she retreated from his mind. It was way easier to get out than to reach inside, and she understood that all the while she had been there she had been fighting against a pull that had tried to send her out. Underlying unconscious safety mechanism probably.

'Harmony? Do you hear me at all?' Severus Snape grumbled on her mind.

She opened her eyes to stare at the man on the bed. His expression was one of doubt and fear.

'I do hear you, Sir. Loud and clear. Welcome back to the living.'

'Thank God!' The man sighed in pure relief and seemed almost on the brink on crying. His breathing was somehow erratic and Harmony flinched as a huge quantity of emotions all but washed over like a big wave on the shore of the sea. After so long it felt intense to feel so much at once.

"Wow… " She gasped, lightheaded for a second. She shook his head to get free of the feeling. There was the start of a headache on the background.

" Any headache threat on your side?" Harmony inquired dejectedly.

' One of those relievers that you've mentioned earlier would be nice.' Came the answer from him along with the echo of something painful.

"This is one of the many reasons why I avoid messing with minds as much as I can." Harmony complained, getting up and leaving the room. 'Do you feel sick or anything else?' She wondered through the bond as she arrived the kitchen and reached for the potion's cabinet.

'Nothing too bad. It's manageable, thank you.' Severus declared, his voice shaky.

Returning to the room with two vials on her hand, she gave him one first and only after that did she take one herself.

"I hope that the quality is good enough for a Master of Potions."

'It is. Thank you again.'

"No matter. I'm relieved to hear you at last."

'Not so much as I am, I assure you. I thought that I would go mad.'

" It's over now Sir. At least this particular problem is. The rest of it… We will figure it out eventually. I promise."

Severus snorted and his expression to one of disbelief.

'My hopes are not nearly as high as yours seem to be. I would prefer if you kept from promising things that may never come true.'

"Sir..."

'No Sir me. I've been like this for months with little to no improvement. I know how bad this is.' He barked, crushed. So much underlying pain.

Harmony swallowed before joining him on the bed once more. It was the easiest way to be at his level and in closeness. Taking his hand on her, the other cupped his cheek tentatively. He didn't shy away. He rarely did. His eyes denoted sadness.

"We will find a way." She reassured him, looking him in the eye. "Just give me time to work it out. And accurate information would be useful too. That file holds nothing but lies."

"Where do you want me to start?"


End file.
